Which Ella outward swing door tubs have the widest seats?

Every Ella walk-in tub with an outward swing door belongs to one of two families, the U-shape outswing group and the L-shape wheelchair transfer group, and the widest seats in both families sit on the largest shells. The TransferXXL carries a 29 inch seat in a 36 inch by 55 inch shell, the Shak pairs a 28 inch seat with a 36 inch by 72 inch basin, and the Big4One puts a 27 inch seat in a 33 inch by 66 inch footprint, while the Front Entry fits a 25 inch seat into a compact 32 inch by 40 inch tub. The full door-by-door lineup is laid out in Which Ella walk-in tubs have an outward swing door?, and this page ranks those models by seat width so you can match the seat to the bather first and the footprint to the bathroom second.

Outward Swing Models Ranked by Seat Width

The table lists the outward swing models with seats of 22 inches or more, widest first. Nominal sizes are the rounded figures used in model names and on product pages. Where an actual size from the spec sheet drawing appears in our published pages it is shown too, because the actual size is the one to measure an alcove against.

What the table means: seat width tracks the width of the shell, not its length. The two 36 inch wide tubs, the TransferXXL and the Shak, carry the two widest seats, and they get there by different routes. The TransferXXL spends its width on the seat and keeps the shell to 55 inches, while the Shak stretches to 72 inches and gives the bather a long basin as well. The Big4One sits just behind both. Length is where the families part ways: the U-shape group holds the longest basins, with the Shak at 72 inches and the Big4One at 66 inches, and the Transfer group tops out at the Transfer60's 60 inches. If a wide seat matters more than leg room, the Front Entry puts a 25 inch seat in a 40 inch long shell, which is the shortest footprint on the table.

Wider Seat or Longer Basin: How the Two Families Split

Both families open out into the bathroom instead of into the tub, which is what makes entry and exit easier, and both lock with Ella's gear and shaft mechanism. The U-shape outward swing door is a plastic (PVC) composite frame holding a tempered glass panel, closed by a three-latch gear and shaft mechanism. It is the door on the Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile, Lounger, Shak and Big4One, and the Tub4Two uses the same outward U-shape door with a tempered frosted glass panel in a white composite frame. None of these is a stainless steel inward swing door, whatever an older feature list may print.

The L-shape outward transfer door is on the Transfer26, Transfer30, Transfer32, Transfer60 and TransferXXL. Its lower door line lets a bather slide onto the seat from a wheelchair or walker while seated rather than stepping through a taller opening. It is an extra wide door, designed to fit over a toilet, and it locks with a two-shaft gear and lock system. The video on this page shows the hardware the two families share: the U-shaped door with its three shaft gear and lock system, the extra wide L-shaped door with its two shaft system, and the handle that engages and disengages for a tight, leak-proof seal.

The practical split is this. If the bather walks in and wants the most room to stretch out, the U-shape group gives you the Shak and Big4One. If the bather transfers from a chair, the L-shape group gives you the TransferXXL for seat width or the Transfer60 for length. Every model in the Transfer family is offered as a soaking tub with no jets as well as with therapy packages, as What is the shortest wheelchair transfer tub and which come without jets? explains, so the therapy choice never narrows the seat choice.

The Transfer60 in Detail: Seat, Door Swing and Placement

The Transfer60 is the model people most often ask about for exact placement figures. Its nominal size is 60 inches long by 30 inches wide, and the spec sheet actual size is 29.5 inches by 60 inches by 40 inches. The seat is 22 inches wide and 18 1/2 inches long, the interior length is 50 3/4 inches, the seat sits 17 inches above the footwell floor, and the top of the overflow is 17 5/8 inches above the seat. Its L-shape door swings outward through 172 degrees, so it opens nearly flat alongside the tub, and like every outward door it needs clear floor space in front of the tub. The door width itself is not listed in our support pages, so have your installer confirm from the spec sheet drawing that the door clears the toilet and any vanity before framing.

One configuration detail trips up many orders. On an Ella walk-in tub the door and the drains are always on opposite sides as you face the tub: a left-side door tub has its drains on the right, and a right-side door tub has its drains on the left. There is no Transfer60 with a left door and left drains. Choose the door side by where the bather will approach from and let the drain side follow.

If you are weighing the Transfer60 against the other 60 inch outward swing tub, Lounger Versus Transfer60: A Side-by-Side Comparison From the Spec Sheets puts the figures next to each other. The Transfer60 is three inches wider overall, and that width shows up as a seat 2 inches wider and 2 1/2 inches longer than the Lounger's 20 inch by 16 inch seat.

The Narrower End of the Outward Swing Lineup

Not every outward swing tub has a wide seat, and for a smaller bather that is the point. The Lounger is 27 inches wide by 60 inches long, 27 by 59 by 40 inches actual, with a 20 inch seat, and it suits a 60 inch alcove that is short on width. The Capri is 30 by 52 by 40 inches with a 20 inch seat. The Mobile, at 26 inches wide by 45 inches long, has the smallest footprint Ella makes and a 20 inch seat. The Transfer26 is 26 by 52 by 40 inches with a 19 inch seat, the narrowest seat in the line, and it is built for wheelchair transfer. A bather who sits comfortably in a 19 or 20 inch seat gains nothing from a 28 inch seat except more water to fill around them, so the compact models in What is the smallest walk-in tub for a petite bather? are the better starting point in that case.

The Monaco sits between the two groups. It shares the 32 by 52 footprint with the Transfer32 but swaps the transfer door for a U-shape door and gives up one inch of seat width, 23 inches against 24. In return its step-in threshold is approximately 4 inches, which Ella Ultimate vs Ella Monaco 32x52: Key Differences contrasts with the taller threshold on the Ultimate.

How to Choose: Measure the Bather, Then the Alcove

Ella's measuring guidance does not start with the bather's height. It asks the bather to sit in a chair facing a wall, in a relaxed position, and measure the hips while seated, because the tub seat must be wider than that number, along with the shoulder width while seated. Compare the seated hip figure to the seat width column above and you have your short list.

Then measure the alcove. A 52 inch tub still fits a 60 inch alcove, because Ella tubs shorter than 60 inches include an extension panel that closes the gap at the wall; the Transfer26, for example, ships with an 8 inch extension panel. Remember that every outward door needs clear floor space in front of the tub, and check the swing against the toilet and the door into the room. Send the bather's hip width and seated height along with your alcove measurements to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and they will point you to the right fit.

Watch: Benefits of Outward Door Swing Walk-In Tubs | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Ella Lounger 27x59 vs Ultimate 30x60: which suits a tall bather?
• Ella Big4One vs TransferXXL: which bariatric tub suits a broad bather?
• What Are the Features of the Ella TransferXXL Wheelchair Accessible Walk-In Tub?

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